Friday 4 October 2024

Book Spotlight: Bestiary of Blood

 I have a spotlight today for the epic new anthology, Bestiary of Blood. Enjoy.




Bestiary of Blood: Modern Fables & Dark Tales




We are all prey to this anthology of modern fables and dark tales.

Bestiary of Blood was conceived in a moment of revelation, born from the visceral experience of watching nature’s savage ballet—lions tearing into flesh, hyenas gnawing bones, sharks thrashing in crimson waters. These raw spectacles gave rise to a chilling epiphany: life and death are entwined in a grotesque dance, each feeding the other in a ceaseless cycle of transformation, creating…beauty.

This paradox is captured in its full glory in Bestiary of Blood, a modern anthology of predation’s horrors inspired by the timeless tales of Aesop’s Fables, modernized for a more complex, unforgiving world. Exploring the joy in our hurts, the wrongs in our rights, and the suffering in the shadows of our light, Bestiary of Blood invites you to the intersection of human and animal experience, crafting dark tales that resonate with life’s endless cycles of transformation.
Written by 37 of Horror’s greatest writers, including 18 Bram Stoker Award Winners, this anthology features diverse voices from every walk of life as they usher you through the darkest and most profound questions of the modern age.


Book Link: https://getbook.at/Bestiary


About the Editor

JAMAL HODGE is a multi-award-winning filmmaker, a native New Yorker, who grew up surrounded by the perils of poverty, the diversity of convergent cultures, and the harmonious circus of six siblings. His writing has been nominated for 2021 & 2022 Rhysling Awards and his poem “Colony” won 2nd place at the 2022 Dwarf Stars. He work appears in anthologies with such notable writers as Stephen King, Chuck Palahniuk, and Josh Malerman. His first collection The Dark Between the Twilight was released in 2024.




Friday 27 September 2024

Book Spotlight: Draakensky

 Here's a new book spotlight for the dark fantasy, Draakensky by Paula Cappa. Enjoy.


Draakensky by Paula Cappa




A murder. A wind sorcerer. A dark spirit. On Draakensky, magick dictates destiny.


The Chief of Police discovers an elderly woman dead in the Mianus River. There is a ghost who resides here and flings its words through the spinning air. River magic too, streams across Draakensky Windmill estate, conjuring a secret in Bedford, New York.

Sketch artist Charlotte Knight arrives on Draakensky to a bright opportunity. She is hired to illustrate the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke under the direction of Jaa Morland, the recluse spinster of Draakensky. Jaa, a believer in ghosts, instructs Charlotte to ‘draw the ghosts.’

From the first night, Charlotte hears the watery voice of Draakensky’s ghost speak to her. Sinister dark eyes watch at the window. Fear mounts when a strange man stalks her through the village cemetery and shops. When a wicked force of nature strikes Charlotte, warning her to flee Draakensky, she is shaken to the bone.

Needing solid ground, Charlotte meets the local restaurant owner, Marc Sexton, who knows the ghostly Otherworld and the magickal practices from his Celtic ancestry; he sports a silver wolf amulet at his neck. Their romance takes Charlotte into a piercing adventure through darkness and doubt, passion and aching love.

As dark magick accelerates on Draakensky, Charlotte is driven into realms of owl magick, witchcraft, and necromancy. She battles her own fear of ghosts and wrestles with how to trust Marc Sexton, a man with hidden realities.

If magick is destiny, then Charlotte must survive the world of ghosts or surrender to a more powerful source in this literary tale of mystery, sorcery, and love.



Fans of ghostly and Gothic fiction like Susan Hill’s Woman in Black, or Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House will find Draakensky goes a step deeper into the powerful Otherworld, magickal realms, and folklore. Paula Cappa is a multi-award-winning author of supernatural tales, Greylock, Night Sea Journey, and The Dazzling Darkness, and many published short stories.


Book Link: https://getbook.at/Draakensky




About the Author

Paula Cappa is a multiple award-winning author of Greylock, The Dazzling Darkness, and Night Sea Journey—A Tale of the Supernatural, print editions published by Crispin Books, Milwaukee WI. She is known for her quiet horror stories, and as an Amazon best-selling author. 

Cappa’s short fiction has appeared in The Lorelei Signal, Scribes, ParABnormal Magazine, Coffin Bell Literary Journal, Unfading Daydream, Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine, Whistling Shade Literary Journal, SmokeLong Quarterly, Sirens Call Ezine, Every Day Fiction, Fiction365, Twilight Times Ezine, and in anthologies Journals of Horror: Found Fiction, Mystery Time, and Human Writes Literary Journal

She is a freelance copy editor and writes a short story blog, Reading Fiction Blog, at https://paulacappa.wordpress.com. Cappa is Co-Chair of the Pound Ridge Authors Society in Pound Ridge, NY.




Friday 20 September 2024

Book Spotlight: The Medusa Psalms

 Another book spotlight today for the new horror collection by Kyle Toucher, The Medusa Psalms: Welcome to Walpurgis County. Enjoy.




The Medusa Psalms: Welcome to Walpurgis County by Kyle Toucher


Kyle Toucher invites you on a chilling journey through ten stories and two novellas that unveil the grim history and malevolent folklore of America's most cursed terrain. From haunted mountains to deranged cults, from cosmic horrors to ancestral vendettas, each tale plunges you deeper into a realm where monsters roam freely and secrets fester in the blood-soaked soil.

In this collection, exorcists battle ancient evils, time bends and distorts reality, and the unsuspecting collide with the macabre. Meet a father consumed by grief and vengeance, a woman trapped in a temporal abyss, and a conspiracy theorist facing an occult agenda that threatens humanity's very existence. Encounter witches burning from within, possessed souls seeking revenge, and hybrids born of unholy alliances.

The Medusa Psalms: Welcome to Walpurgis County is a symphony of horror, suspense, and the supernatural, weaving together tales of haunted houses, demonic possessions, and cosmic conspiracies. With echoes of alternative history and the looming specter of a new world order, Toucher's dark imagination transforms everyday landscapes into battlegrounds of madness and despair.

Embrace the terror that lurks beneath the surface of Walpurgis County. Dare to cross the county line and immerse yourself in a world where nightmares are reality and survival means confronting the darkest corners of the human soul.









About the Author



Kyle Toucher (rhymes with voucher) is the author of the novel Live Wire, from Crystal Lake Publishing, the novella Life Returns, and the Black Hare Press Short Read, Southpaw.
He recently appeared in the anthologies Dead Letters: Episodes of Epistolary Horror and To Hell and Back, from Crystal Lake and Hellbound Books respectively.
Through his twenties, he fronted the influential Nardcore crossover band Dr. Know, made records and hit the road. Later, he moved into the Visual Effects field, where he bagged eight Emmy nominations and two awards for Firefly and Battlestar: Galactica.  
He lives with a lovely woman, five cats, two dogs, and several guitars in house built when Nosferatu first ran in theatres.





X: @kyletoucher
Instagram: @kyletoucher



Friday 13 September 2024

Book Spotlight: The Exorcist’s House: Genesis

 Another book spotlight today on Nick Robert's new book, The Exorcist’s House: Genesis. Enjoy.



 

The Exorcist’s House: Genesis by Nick Roberts



In chasing devils, all roads lead to Hell.

1967: A brutal murder occurs at the Weston State Hospital in West Virginia. To amateur exorcist, Merle Blatty, this shocking story rings of the occult. Fueled by a desire to avenge the deaths of his wife and son, Merle investigates the case, unknowingly stepping into a sinister web spanning decades.

1997: It’s been three years since the Hill family left the nightmares of the farm behind them. Alice is off to college while Daniel and Nora are closer than ever, living in Ohio and raising their three-year-old daughter, Maren. Their high hopes for the future are quickly extinguished when they receive a call, learning of a plan by Adam, Daniel’s brother, to purchase the exorcist's former property and stage an Amityville-inspired haunting to profit from the story.

By alternating past and present narratives, The Exorcist’s House: Genesis is a multi-generational odyssey through Hell, giving birth to a new breed of horror.


Book Link: https://getbook.at/NickGenesis




About the Author


Nick Roberts is the author of Anathema, The Exorcist's House, It Haunts the Mind & Other Stories, and Mean Spirited. He is a native West Virginian, a doctoral graduate of Marshall University, and an active member of the Horror Writers Association.


Friday 23 August 2024

Book Spotlight: Missing in Miskatonic

Today I have another horror book spotlight from Crystal Lake Entertainment, Missing in Miskatonic by JP Behrens. Enjoy. 




Missing in Miskatonic by JP Behrens


Step into the shadowed streets of 1928 Arkham, where Miskatonic University holds secrets darker than the night.

In this supernatural thriller reminiscent of Raymond Chandler and H.P. Lovecraft, Private Detective Travis Daniels is thrust into a harrowing investigation when a young woman disappears without a trace. As Daniels delves deeper into the labyrinthine mysteries of the storied New England city, he uncovers a web of sinister cults, ancient rituals, and eldritch horrors that threaten not only his own sanity but the fabric of reality itself.
Set against a city steeped in occult lore and clandestine experiments, Missing in Miskatonic blends elements of hard-boiled detective fiction with chilling supernatural encounters. Daniels navigates treacherous alliances and confronts malevolent entities lurking in the shadows, all while racing against time to unravel the truth behind the girl's disappearance.
With a narrative that grips from the first page, this novel combines suspense, mystery, and cosmic terror in a gripping tale where every clue leads deeper into the abyss. From the enigmatic corridors of Miskatonic to the eerie gatherings of the Silver Twilight Lodge, Daniels must confront his own demons as he battles forces beyond human comprehension.


Book Link: https://getbook.at/Miskatonic



About the Author

JP Behrens is the author of Portrait of a Nuclear Family and We Don’t Talk Anymore and Other Dark Fictions. A graduate of the Yale Writers’ Workshop, he spends his days writing, reading, and practicing Kung Fu. All his other time is spent with family. He looks forward to revisiting sleep one day.





Threads: @JPBehrens

Bluesky: @JPBehrens




Friday 9 August 2024

Book Spotlight: Creatures of the Night (Dark Tide 17)

 Another book spotlight for the new release from Crystal lake Entertainment, Creatures of the Night (Dark Tide 17). Enjoy.





Creatures of the Night (Dark Tide 17)




Immerse yourself in a world of terror and darkness with three vampire horror novellas.


Return of the Blood-Feeders by Simon Clark: Viking vampires, and their latest vicious recruits, swarm through tunnels beneath the present-day town of Leppington. The Norse gods have created a Vampyrrhic army to wreak vengeance on people that turned their backs on Odin.  Just two fragile humans stand in their way – a down-at-heel drifter who is struggling to recover from a severe head injury, and a dreamer with a drink problem. Together, they must become extraordinary. Together, they must defeat something that is much, much worse than vampires.

Return of the Blood-Feeders is set in the world of Simon’s Vampyrrhic series of novels.

Perspective by Kevin J. Kennedy: "This is a story of my re-awakening, and vampires." A couple's lives are thrown into turmoil when a body is dumped at their door. The vampires are catapulted into a blood-drenched journey to the gates of hell. Fortunately, they have some werewolf friends that want to come along for the ride.

Beneath Still Waters by Gord Rollo: On May 16, 2020, disaster struck the small Canadian mining town of Beckley, Nova Scotia. An explosion deep in Shaft 3 unleased a massive torrent of water from an underground stream, quickly flooding the lower levels and dooming the workers below. Sixty-five people lost their lives that night, the tragedy one of the worst mining disasters in the province’s history. The Red Spruce Gypsum Mine would never reopen. 

The town tried to turn the heartbreak into something positive, converting the flooded quarry into a natural swimming hole for people to cool off in during the hot summer months. But something has awakened from within the abandoned mine shafts and staked its territory in the deepest part of the lake. Something ancient. Something savage. Something hungry… 


Book Link: https://getbook.at/DarkTide17


***


About the Authors


Simon Clark

Simon Clark’s novels, include Blood Crazy (now an entire series of books), Vampyrrhic, Darkness Demands, Stranger, Whitby Vampyrrhic, Secrets of the Dead, and the British Fantasy award-winning The Night of the Triffids, which was broadcast as a five-part drama series by BBC radio.

Weird House Press have recently issued Simon’s new collection, Sherlock Holmes: A Casebook of Nightmares and Monsters, and the novels, Sherlock Holmes: Lord of Damnation and Callisto: Blood Mission.

He has also scripted audio dramas for Big Finish, including for their reboot of the apocalyptic drama, Survivors and their multi-platform Doom’s Day.

The Cannes Film Festival 2024 saw the premiere of Protos, a dystopian Sci-Fi/Horror feature film, which he co-scripted with Brian Avenet-Bradley.

Simon lives in Yorkshire, England, where he can be seen roaming this legend-haunted landscape with a black and white Border Collie by the name of Mylo.


Gord Rollo

GORD ROLLO was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, but now lives in Ontario, Canada. His short stories and novella-length work have appeared in many professional publications throughout the genre. His novels include: The Jigsaw Man, Crimson, Strange Magic, Valley Of The Scarecrow, The Translators, The Crucifixion Experiments, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and The Dark Side of Heaven.

Two other novels: Beasts of Copan, a time travel fantasy/horror, and Voodoo Cowboys: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a weird western/horror/adventure novel, were co-written with the legendary Gene O’Neill. 

Besides novels, Gord has edited the acclaimed evolutionary horror anthology, Unnatural Selection: A Collection of Darwinian Nightmares and co-edited Dreaming of Angels, a horror/fantasy anthology.

 

Kevin J. Kennedy

Kevin J. Kennedy is a horror author, editor, and anthologist. He is also the owner of KJK Publishing and he runs the best-selling 'The Horror Collection' series. 

He lives in the heart of Scotland with his beautiful wife, three cats, Carlito, Ariel, and Luna, and a Pomchi called Orko. He can be found on Facebook if you want to chat with him.




Friday 19 July 2024

Book Spotlight: Poe and I

 A book spotlight today for the new release from Crystal Lake Entertainment, Poe and I. Enjoy.


Poe and I banner


Poe and I by Matthew Mercier



Welcome to Poe Cottage. Would you like a tour?

Jonah Peabody takes a job as caretaker and docent for the last home of Edgar Allan Poe in The Bronx, but from the moment he moves into Poe’s Basement—where the caretaker must live—he finds himself also living inside a Poe story, stalked by a man who seems to be his doppelganger and who seeks revenge for past misdeeds. 

Jonah claims to be hunting for his lost sister, but as the narrative shifts between past and present, it’s clear that he’s not telling us the entire story. What is he hiding and why?  

Haunted by the violent ghosts of his own family and Poe himself, Jonah must reconcile with his dark past before the dual shadow of guilt and grief buries him alive. Living in Poe’s Basement might just be his last chance at redemption.



Book Link: https://getbook.at/Poe



About the Author


Matthew Mercier is a writer and storyteller living in the woods of the Hudson Valley. He’s worked as a tour guide at the Mystic Aquarium, run a youth hostel in Albuquerque, been slimed as a salmon packer in Naknek, Alaska, provided showers for homeless men on the Bowery, and proudly served three years as head docent and caretaker for the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in The Bronx. He earned an MFA from Hunter College where he taught writing and children’s literature. His work has appeared The Brooklyn Rail, Mississippi Review, Glimmer Train, Rosebud Magazine, Creative Nonfiction, The Fairy Tale Review, Shotgun Honey, and Mystery Tribune. He’s told stories live on stage with The Moth and been heard on NPR’s The Moth Radio Hour, as well The Story Collider, RISK and The Truth podcasts. He’s been awarded the Leon B. Burstein scholarship from the New York chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and a residency from the Saltonstall Foundation. Currently, he is writing and producing radio dramas for Radio Free Rhinecliff in Rhinecliff, NY. 
For more information, visit him at matthewmercier.com.  


Poe and I banner


Friday 14 June 2024

Book Spotlight: The Dark Between the Twilight

 Today I have a spotlight on the collection of memoir and speculative poems, The Dark Between the Twilight by Jamal Hodge. Enjoy.


The Dark Between the Twilight



The Dark Between the Twilight
is a unique collection of memoir and speculative poems that takes the reader on an unforgettable exploration of the darkest and brightest fragments of a lonely but loving heart. It is an accounting of one man’s soul through the power of the imagination. Through the redemption of his pain, Jamal Hodge invites us to turn from the shadows of the past and seek the light in our own lives.
 
Darkness purifies, loneliness empties, and in the light, all are made whole again.


"Jamal Hodge invites us to dive deep into our emotions to experience what it truly means to live. His latest collection The Dark Between the Twilight is an introspective look into the dichotomy of existence and existing. His words are raw, powerful, and unforgettable. They stay with you on this darkly haunting journey into the human condition."—Christina Sng, Bram Stoker Award winning author of A Collection of Nightmares

“In The Dark Between the Twilight, Jamal Hodge opens his soul while pulling readers into the light, bleeding over his pages a blend of love, passion, and emotional truth.”—Michael Bailey, Bram Stoker Award winning editor and Shirley Jackson Award nominated writer

“Every now and then, the world is introduced to a work of art that transcends without end; that is not bound to time nor space but rather collective consciousness itself. With soul-wrenching poems such as ‘The Dream of Worms’ and ‘Tomorrow, I’ll Be Five’, or the vulnerability of ‘Goodbye’, and the affecting ‘Stay. Live.’, Jamal’s book, The Dark Between the Twilight, touches upon a reader’s enigmatic soul with an introspective emotion that will inspire generations of artists to come.”—Nzondi, Bram Stoker Award-winning Author




About the Author:

Jamal Hodge is a native New Yorker who grew up surrounded by the perils of poverty, the diversity of convergent cultures, and the harmonious circus of six siblings. He is a multi-award-winning film director, a two-time Rhysling Award nominee, and a 2nd place Dwarf Stars award-winning poet, whose one obsession is exploring the great “Why?” inside each of us. 

Jamal loves the broken things that want to be understood and the secret things that never bothered to hide. With his writing, he hopes to uncover the paradox between suffering and meaning, to use darkness to show light.

When he’s not writing or filming, Jamal is traveling to odd locales, volunteering at some community organization, or in the gym working out to a near death experience.  

He fancies himself a pretty cool guy.

Somnium Blog Tour: An Interview With Deirdre Swinden

Welcome to today's stop on the Sominium Blog Tour. I have an interview the author of Somnium, Deirdre Swinden. Enjoy.



Interview With Deirdre Swinden


Give everyone a quick overview of your book, Somnium.

Somnium offers readers a glimpse into Gillian Hardie’s life after she’s struggled with persistent nightmare disorder. It’s affected her in many ways, and there were times when it affected the decisions she made. What she doesn’t know is that her troubles were caused by a glitch in dream advertising technology, and that the recent uptick in the strength of her dreams is no accident.

 

When the dreams are bad, MCL Nathan Keller jumps in to help. Aided by Dex Cooper and a host of Somnium Corporation’s technology, they battle her demons and usually win. When an accident traps Gillian in the dream state, it’s a race against time to ensure she not only survives, but that her survival doesn’t result in the unleashing of an unimaginable nightmare that could affect millions of Somnium’s customers.

 

At its core, Somnium is a cautionary tale about the lethal dangers of corporate greed and a society hellbent on advancing technology without thought to the repercussions. The focus on Gillian—one woman so badly affected by a glitch in the dream advertising tech that she will either die by her own hand because of her nightmares or suffer until death during those dreams—is my way of showing that advancement isn’t without collateral damage. At the same time, it’s about the nature of self-forgiveness – the struggle we all go through to accept ourselves as both good and bad in order to become whole and strong.

 

What were your inspirations for writing this book?

I’ve been fascinated by the concepts of sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming most of my life. The idea that people across time and cultures have had the exact same dream—an image of an old hag (the succubus)—and experience the same sensation of being awake and in the presence of something “evil” but not able to move resonated with me. I’ve had those dreams myself. Add to that a grumbling joke that soon they would be advertising to us in our dreams and a nightmare where I thought it would be nice if someone could jump in to help and you’ve got Somnium.

 

Tell us about the main character, what’s their personality? What kind of emotional journey does your character go through in the book?

The book centers on Gillian Hardie, who has had her life disrupted by bad dreams. She is introverted, isolated and has struggled to survive the deep depression associated with persistent nightmare disorder. She has learned to avoid technology to help calm her anxious brain and mastered the art of lucid dreaming to combat her fears. She’s had a troubled past, and throughout the book, readers will get to know what brought her to her present state of mind. The journey she undertakes is not only one to save her life, but to remind herself that it is worth living—no matter what she may have done in the past.

 

What did you enjoy most about writing your book?

I love the process. From the first inkling of an idea, to building out the characters and their different personalities, to building the world they live in. Writing the story helps me get to know them, to learn who they are—which is often different than how I originally imagined them to be. It’s a difficult process, and I often find myself and my characters frustrated, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.


What did you find most challenging about writing your book?

For me it’s endings. I’m a “plantser” – writing by both plan and the seat of my pants – so I can see a general ending in my head when I start writing. As I get closer to the end, it gets harder to get there—to build the bridges from where my characters have unexpectedly ended up to the ending I had originally foreseen. With Somnium, I needed to break my hold on the original ending and incorporate elements of that idea with what popped up along the way. It was difficult to give up that original scene, but once I did, the ending finally came out.

 

Did anything surprise you about the process of writing your book?

Not really about the process—I’ve been writing most of my life and have several novels that no one will ever see tucked away in a file, so I’m familiar with my writing process. I think what surprises me is some of the twists and turns that pop up as I’m writing. The way the characters can take over and as the author, you’re simply capturing their actions and words as they flow. I think Stephen King described that feeling as the hole that opens in the screen and you just fall into the world. You feel like you’re watching and taking notes vs. actually being in control of the story.

 

How do you create your characters? Do they begin as a name, an idea, or do they start talking to you fully formed?

Usually I have an idea about a scene and over time, I build the characters and their personalities around that scene. How do they interact in that moment? Do they make me laugh? Make me angry? What about them captivates me because they’re in that scene? If I can’t let them go after that initial scene, then I know I need to write their story.

 

What is the hardest challenge you’ve had to overcome in your writing life? 

I think my fear of rejection is probably the most difficult thing I’ve had to overcome. To be a writer is to put yourself out there on paper and pixels for all to see, and as an introvert, that is really hard for me. My MFA program helped me to overcome that fear, but it certainly still plagues me from time to time.

 

How do you make time to write, and how do you utilize that time.

I try to write whenever I can—lunch hours, a few hours on the weekends. Sometimes I talk myself through a scene in the shower or on a commute to work. I prefer to write in the morning and edit in the evenings, and knowing those proclivities, I find I’m better able to use the hours I can snatch to work on my writing.

 

Do you have a favourite author, or writing inspiration?

There are so many! Margaret Atwood, Shirley Jackson, Michelle Paver, Stephen King, Richard Matheson, M.R. James, Susan Hill, Neil Gaiman…the list goes on! I love good dystopian novels, sci-fi epics, ghost stories and anything having to do with haunted houses (or haunted people…or objects…really anything haunted!).

 

When I need inspiration, I reread The Shining, Oryx & Crake, Hell House and The Haunting of Hill House (or watch their various movie iterations). The blend of science and spectre—of psychological and paranormal—is something I strive for in my own work.

 

Anything special on your 'to read' list for this year?

My “To Be Read” pile is huge! I have the latest from Stephen King and Margaret Atwood at the top of my list, but also several new releases from new authors that I want to try out. In particular, I’m itching to get my hands on some of my fellow female horror authors’ works!

 

Do you have any amusing writing stories or anecdotes to share?

Sorry – nothing comes to mind on this one!

 

What’s your next project? What can readers expect from you in the future?

I recently completed a sci-fi/horror crossover where a group of misfits are isolated and experimented on by a scientist attempting to solve the problem of death itself. It inevitably goes horribly wrong. I’m also working on a fantasy/horror crossover based on the idea that sometimes, a world might need to be destroyed. It plays on the concept that the destruction of long-held ideals or beliefs isn’t always bad, and that those who do the destroying aren’t always the villains they seem to be. I’m still working on that one, but the feedback so far has been good!





Somnium by Deirdre Swinden


Immerse yourself in a terrifying blend of psychological horror and high-tech science fiction in this riveting novel where dreams can kill. Gillian Hardie experiences nightmares so intense they threaten her very existence, thanks to a glitch in Somnium Corporation's groundbreaking dream advertising technology. Every night, her sleep unleashes monsters that her body reacts to as if they were real, pushing her to the edge of despair.

Armed with her lucid dreaming skills, Gillian battles these horrors, but when an accident traps her in a perpetual dream state, she must rely on Nathan Keller, a nightmare warrior, and Dex Cooper, an Operator, to navigate this nightmarish reality. With her darkest fears manifesting like never before, Gillian faces a race against time to survive a threat that could unleash unimaginable horrors from the depths of her mind.

 


TRIGGER WARNINGS:

This novel includes a brief depiction of sexual violence, gore, and nightmare imagery.

 

Book Link: https://geni.us/Somnium




Author Bio:


A successful writer/editor in the corporate world for more than two decades, Deirdre Swinden is currently living and writing in North Carolina. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Arcadia University and has published short stories in Griffel Literary Magazine and Grim & Gilded. Early in her writing career, she won the Popular Short Story Contest at the 2000 Philadelphia Writers’ Conference with her short work, “Shooting Televisions.”

 


WEBSITEhttps://deirdreswindenauthor.com

 

 

Friday 31 May 2024

Book Spotlight: Somnium

Another book spotlight today for Crystal Lake Entertainment's new release, Somnium by Deirdre Swinden. Enjoy.


Somnium book banner


Somnium by Deirdre Swinden



Immerse yourself in a terrifying blend of psychological horror and high-tech science fiction in this riveting novel where dreams can kill. Gillian Hardie experiences nightmares so intense they threaten her very existence, thanks to a glitch in Somnium Corporation's groundbreaking dream advertising technology. Every night, her sleep unleashes monsters that her body reacts to as if they were real, pushing her to the edge of despair.

Armed with her lucid dreaming skills, Gillian battles these horrors, but when an accident traps her in a perpetual dream state, she must rely on Nathan Keller, a nightmare warrior, and Dex Cooper, an Operator, to navigate this nightmarish reality. With her darkest fears manifesting like never before, Gillian faces a race against time to survive a threat that could unleash unimaginable horrors from the depths of her mind.











About the Author

A successful writer/editor in the corporate world for more than two decades, Deirdre Swinden is currently living and writing in North Carolina. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Arcadia University and has published short stories in Griffel Literary Magazine and Grim & Gilded. Early in her writing career, she won the Popular Short Story Contest at the 2000 Philadelphia Writers’ Conference with her short work, “Shooting Televisions.”



Friday 12 April 2024

Book Spotlight: The Thing in the Wind

Today I have a book spotlight for you on the horror book, The Thing in the Wind by Bill Mullen. Enjoy.




The Thing in the Wind 


A search party stumbles upon an unspeakable horror that threatens both their lives and sanity. 

In the heart of the Canadian wilderness, a harrowing tale of survival and psychological horror unfolds in this gripping novel. Amidst the vast, unforgiving landscape, a woman's world is shattered by the mysterious disappearance of her mother in the remote reaches of northern Saskatchewan. Along with her father and a small, determined search party, she embarks on a desperate quest for answers, only to encounter an unspeakable terror lurking in the shadows of the ancient forests.

As the group navigates the treacherous wilderness, their journey becomes a chilling fight for survival against not only the harsh elements but also a malevolent force that defies explanation. Haunted by eerie premonitions and the feeling of being stalked by an unseen entity, they begin to realize that they are facing a horror far beyond their wildest imaginations. 

This suspenseful narrative weaves together the threads of environmental horror and the mysteries of the unknown, crafting a story that is as thought-provoking as it is terrifying. With a strong female protagonist at its core, this novel explores the depths of human resilience and the bonds that tie us to the natural world.

For fans of the haunting wilderness narratives in Adam Nevill's The Ritual and the psychological depth found in Paul Tremblay's works, this Canadian Wilderness Survival Horror Book is a must-read. It stands alongside books like The Terror by Dan Simmons, offering a unique blend of psychological thrillers and horror, imbued with the eerie lore of Wendigo supernatural horror books.

Dive into this gripping horror novel, where the beauty of nature collides with the darkest corners of the human psyche, and the hunt for missing people unravels a mystery that might have been better left undiscovered.

Book Link: https://geni.us/ThingInTheWind




About the Author

Bill Mullen was born in England and holds an MFA from the Bluegrass Writers Studio. He now lives in Kentucky where he teaches literature and writing at Eastern Kentucky University. His first novel, Red Nocturne, was published in 2016.

 


Friday 29 March 2024

Book Spotlight: A Graveyard of Stars (Dark Tide 15)

 Another book spotlight today with the anthology, A Graveyard of Stars (Dark Tide 15). Enjoy.


A Graveyard of Stars (Dark Tide 15)


In uncharted and forbidden tracts of space, ancient evils awaken…

With its visceral action, escalating dread, vivid characters braving trauma and temptation, and startling feats of imagination, A Graveyard of Stars anthology will send the reader hurtling through space toward chilling revelations and breathless conclusions. 

In "The Temple," after an audacious crew of salvagers crosses into dangerous territory seeking otherworldly treasure, they discover an occult secret which could change everything.

In "The Station," the intrepid crew of the Argento encounters unimaginable horrors after discovering a mysterious, drifting megastructure in the depths of space.

And in the title novella "Graveyard of Stars," a routine maintenance job on the edge of the notorious Demon Star system goes terribly wrong, leaving the stranded engineers caught between the unfathomable forces of Algol and the lethal dangers of the encroaching defence net they are sworn to uphold.   

These three brilliantly inventive novellas combine in this compulsive sci-fi collection to explore threats lurking in a forbidden and blighted sector of space. Perfect for fans of Event Horizon, Alien, Dead Silence and Luminous Dead







About the Authors


Once Dan Soule was an academic, but the sentences proved too long and the words too obscure. Northern Ireland is where he now lives. But he was born in England and raised in Byron’s hometown, which the bard hated but Dan does not. They named every other road after Byron. As yet no roads are named after Dan but several children are. He tries to write the kind of stories he wants to read. His short fiction has featured in theGhostsSory.com, Disturbed Digest, Devolution Z and now Sanitarium Magazine among others. Five novels have spawned from his pen, including Neolithica, Witchopper, The Ash, Savage, and The Jam.

 

Lee Mountford is a horror author from the North-East of England. His first book, Horror in the Woods, was published in May 2017 to fantastic reviews, and his follow-up book, The Demonic, achieved Best Seller status in both Occult Horror and British Horror categories on Amazon.

He is a lifelong horror fan, much to the dismay of his amazing wife, Michelle, and his work is available in ebook, print and audiobook formats.

In August 2017 he and his wife welcomed their first daughter, Ella, into the world. In May 2019, their second daughter, Sophie, came along. Michelle is hoping the girls don’t inherit their father’s love of horror, but Lee has other ideas…

 

Joseph Sale is the critically acclaimed Amazon best-selling author of more than 30 books, including The Book of Thrice Dead, Virtue’s End, Dark Hilarity, and The Claw of Craving. Bram Stoker Award Finalist Ross Jeffery described Joseph Sale as “a gothic master”.

He has been published by Blood Bound Books, Crystal Lake, The Writing Collective, Nonbinary Review, Dark Hall Press, and Storgy Magazine, and his work has appeared in anthologies such as Tales From The Shadow Booth, Exit Earth, Burnt Fur, and Blood Bank alongside writers such as Richard Thomas and Neil Gaiman. In 2017 he was nominated for The Guardian’s Not The Booker prize.

Despite growing up in the Lovecraftian seaside town of Bournemouth, he now lives in Winchester (in the UK) with his wonderful family, where he obsesses over table-top RPGs, trading card games, book bindery, esoteric Christianity, and anime.

To read a free prequel novella in the critically acclaimed series The Book of Thrice Dead, visit Joseph Sale’s website: themindflayer.com

To follow him on social media, find him on Twitter / X @josephwordsmith 



Tuesday 19 March 2024

Book Spotlight: One of The Dead

Another book spotlight today with the horror book, One of the Dead by Richard Farren Barber. Enjoy.




One of the Dead by Richard Farren Barber


Terror doesn't stumble and moan—it walks silently among us, cloaked in the guise of the overlooked.

Nick, burdened with the rare ability to see these dead predators for what they truly are, faces a nightmare when his girlfriend, Abby, becomes ensnared by their sinister intent.

These are not your typical undead. They blend in, their appearances mirroring the forgotten faces of society, making their predatory nature all the more chilling. A touch is all it takes for them to latch onto their prey, draining life in a way that leaves the body walking but the spirit doomed.

As Abby becomes the focus of such a being's obsession, Nick is drawn into a desperate struggle not just for her life, but for her very soul. Their fight for survival takes them from the deceptive safety of city streets to the foreboding quiet of a cemetery, where the boundary between the living and those claimed by the shadowy grasp of the dead becomes perilously thin.

One of The Dead weaves a tale not of a zombie apocalypse, but of a quiet invasion, a creeping horror that targets the heart. It's a story of love tested by unfathomable forces, of a battle against an enemy that never rests, never forgives, and never ceases its pursuit until you become one of its own.


You can find the book here.

One of the Dead





About the Author



Richard Farren Barber was born in Nottingham in July 1970. After studying in London he returned to the East Midlands. He lives with his wife and son and works as a manager for a local university.

He’s fairly confident people only read these bios to check the author isn’t a serial killer. (Spoiler alert: he’s not.)

He has over 80 short stories published, seven novellas: “The Power of Nothing”, “The Sleeping Dead”, “Odette”, “Perfect Darkness, Perfect Silence”, “Closer Still”, “All Hell.” , and “Twenty Years Dead.” His two novels are: “The Living and the Lost” and “The Screaming Dead” (Co-authored with Peter Mark May).

Twitter: twitter.com/rfarrenbarber

Facebook: www.facebook.com/richardfarrenbarber

Website:  www.richardfarrenbarber.co.uk


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